Survivor's Guilt
by Amaya Verascola
Summary: Minako Arisato arrives in Iwatodai, broken and alone. Haunted by a single night that took everything from her. All she wants is to get this year over with and run. Too bad she stumbles into a very stubborn group of people that don't take no for an answer. MinaxAki. Maybe a hint of ShinjixMina but mostly Akihiko. Because Akihiko.
1. Bloody Start

"Due to a malfunction in the switching system, today's rail schedule has been greatly altered. We apologize to any customers in a hurry. The next stop is Iwatodai…"

Shit. She was almost there.

Inside the New City passenger train Anehazuru sat a young girl in a school uniform, surrounded by a sea of strangers. The pony-tailed brunette was in for a long ride and was lucky enough to find a vacant seat early in her journey. Not that she would show happiness for any aspect of this trip. Her stomach turned at the thought of her destination. She turned her mp3 onto the highest volume to calm her nerves, up to the point where her seat neighbors could hear every word the powerful female voice was singing _. "I will-"_

'Burn my dread.'

' _I once ran away  
From the god of fear  
And he chained me to despair _'

Tatsumi Port Island. Iwatodai. Gekkoukan High. It was a whole 'new' world for her.

Yeah. Right.

Why was she going back _there_?

" _I-It's a very respectable school, Minako-chan. It would bring you closer to Tokyo University! With your grades, I know you'll do great things there."_

Bullshit. They just wanted to get her as far away from their family as possible. Minako Arisato had been bounced around from home to home long enough to know when she'd overstayed their welcome. Which often wasn't long. After all, who wanted to live with the 'Grim Reaper'? Anyone that tried to get close to her paid with their lives. That piece of 'advice' followed each household, and eventually they just stopped opening their doors for her.

Tokyo University? It was never her dream. Just another ploy to send her as far away as possible. Nobody cared about her anymore. The ones who did were long gone.

The train reached the end of the tunnel when the lights of the city skyline against the midnight blue sky shined through the windows. There she could see the silhouette of the bridge. She remembered that place very well. Better than she would have liked to.

' _(Burn my dread)  
I will break the chain and run,  
'till I see the sunlight again -_

 _I'll lift my face,  
and run to the sunlight...'_

Dammit, if only _she_ could run. If only she had the courage to run. There weren't many options left for her and, while Minako was book-smart, she knew she wouldn't survive out on the streets alone. Not without pissing anyone off.

"Iwatodai. This is the final train bound for Iwatodai. Please take care to board before our departure."

The conductor's voice was drowned out by the ocean of people spilling out of the train, leaving only Minako seated, having not heard the conductor's announcement. One of her seatmates, an older father maybe mid-forties, turned back to face her, as if to give her a polite heads up, but the young girl seemed to move on her own, shoving her way past the man who only tried to show some common courtesy.

The large digital clock in the station flashed 11:58.

She was late. She would wake up the entire dorm at this rate. A rude awakening to start off their meeting was definitely not something Minako was rooting for. It was bad enough she was here, but she certainly didn't want to make any enemies. Well, she had enough experience transferring schools to figure out her survival tactics.

Just keep your distance. Don't show weakness, and never show your true self.

The lobby was nearly filled to its capacity, despite how late it was. Probably because of the train delays. Minako never dealt well with big crowds of people, so she took refuge in an empty corner and relaxed. In about ten minutes or so, the crowds should subside and Minako will be able to meet up with whoever is supposed to take her to the dorm. The person who gave her the details on the phone said that it will be a student guide, so they'd probably be wearing their uniform. And seeing how it was the middle of the night, she doubted there'd be any other students prancing around- not in their uniforms, at least.

The seconds wasted away as the crowds started to dwindle. Minako could hear the ticking clock echo through her ears.

'11:59.'

Wait a minute. The station's clock was digital. There was no clockwork inside to make a sound. So _where_ was the sound coming from? The ticking grew louder. A ghostly moan sounded louder and louder by the second. And then everything stopped.

'12:00.'

The lights powered down first. The smallest hum of a power line Minako wouldn't have heard before shut down. Though she had her eyes wide open, all she could see was pitch black. Then, it was almost as if her eyes reset themselves into night-seeing vision. Her environment was now just barely visible and tinted a deep shade of green. But that's wasn't the only odd thing.

The sea of people that previously occupied the station lobby have disappeared, leaving Minako alone with a cemetery's worth of coffins. Her breathing turned ragged.

She had seen this before.

Visions of the fiery wreckage from those horrid memories shook her psyche as she began to hyperventilate. She could practically feel the space around her close in on her as she suddenly felt a chill on the back of her neck. Something - _someone_ \- was behind her. Minako slowly turned to catch a glimpse of black-striped pajamas and all too familiar blue eyes.

"Hello, Minako-chan."

Her eyes widened in a mixture of recognition and sheer horror. Her already tense body had frozen into place.

 _You're not supposed to be here._

Her brain screamed at her legs to run, but all they could muster was a quivering backstep.

"Minako-chan."

 _No. You're not real._

The brunette made a complete 180 and ran for it. Where she was going, she didn't know. But she had to keep it together. Whoever this figure was, he was nothing but a ghost.

 _You're not real._

"Why are you running away?" His disembodied voice rang in her ears. "You know I am always with you."

Tears streamed down her face as she burst into a sprint. Shit. She was beginning to break down.

"Time escapes no one. We all come to the same end. And yet you choose to run away."

 _Please stop._

"But wishing won't make the bad go away."

She managed to shut his voice out. Minako zigged and zagged around the coffins as fast as she could with the station entrance as her destination. She ran faster than she ever did before. She didn't even know she was capable of going that fast.

And of course, there just had to be something wet and slippery right in front of the door to stop her. Her foot slipped. She could feel the shock of pain as her ankle twisted in a way no body part should go. The pain of her injury sent Minako down to the ground, sliding into the front door with a bang. She had her eyes shut tightly while she breathed through the pain.

"You must fight it of your own free will."

When she opened her eyes, however, all she found was a vision of bright red. Sitting in the middle of a red pool of blood. Imaginary flames surrounding her. Watching the white of her socks stain. Just drowning in blood. That was her breaking point.

She screamed.

.

Turn the clock back just a few minutes.

Outside the station doors, a young man leaned against a column. His cool demeanor coupled with his broad and muscled physique certainly made him quite a head-turner. The people exiting the station, female and male alike, agreed. The silver-haired man caused many faces to blush just from passing by him, and yet his gaze would not break away from the station's entrance.

'She's late.'

Akihiko Sanada broke his staring contest with the door to look down at his watch. It was almost midnight. Which meant he had to kill more time during the Dark Hour. Perfect.

Why did Mitsuru ask him to pick up the transfer student again? Welcoming new students was a task more suited for the Student Council President than for the self-denied protein junkie. Not that Mitsuru was elected yet, but the election's pretty much in the bag for her. Even Takeba, the social butterfly that she was, was more suited for this kind of duty. Akihiko grumbled quietly to himself as the Dark Hour passed over him. He wasn't even phased by the transition anymore. The people that passed by him earlier has already transmogrified and he didn't even blink. He simply sighed and shifted in place.

'What should I do for the next hour?' He thought to himself as he looked up at the nearly full moon. 'I could try searching for Shinji again.'

That's when he heard a crash at the station entrance and the sound of a scream on the other side of the door. And he immediately leapt into action.

Akihiko ran to the doors, simultaneously trying to open the powered down doors as well as soothe the person's cries for help. The doors proved to be tricky as the Midnight Hour turned the automatic entrance into an iron fortress. Out of sheer will and strength, he managed to pry the separating doors open.

The first thing Akihiko saw was the bloodied body of a girl crumpled on the floor in front of him. He immediately dropped down and checked for signs of consciousness, only to meet tear-stained amber eyes. That's when time started to slow down for him and his train of thought clicked back into place with a sudden realization.

This girl wasn't supposed to be awake.

.

For a moment, they just stared at each other. Almost doubting if the other was even real. A full minute had probably passed before Akihiko came to his senses. She was hurt. And scared. This wasn't the time to question how she was there.

Akihiko knelt down to ground so that they could be on equal levels. The mystery girl had finally stopped crying, only managing with a few sniffles here and there. But the eye contact was intense. One might think she was too afraid to blink, lest her savior disappear. Aki, being the awkward turtle that he was, didn't know what to do. Her reddish brown eyes were so hypnotizing that he lost all sense of logic. If he were to stare into them any longer, he'd be reduced to pudding. Akihiko tore his eyes away from her, and finally came to a single realization.

This girl has the Potential. He had to let Mitsuru know right away. They had to-

Akihiko felt a tug on sweater and he remembered their situation. Her crimson eyes began to tear up again.

"Please …please don't leave me alone..." A tiny voice stuttered.

A pang of guilt shot through Akihiko's body as he remembered feelings that he had long since discarded. This girl wasn't Miki. There was no reason for his remorse. Nevertheless, he silently scooped the girl into his arms, cradling her. No words were exchanged as he pulled her weight up, and began walking.

.

Silence followed them even as Akihiko carried the girl through the streets of Iwatodai. He knew nothing about this girl; not her name, circumstance, or even a home to take her. But he figured if she had the Potential, the SEES dormitory is the first place to go. The girl had fallen asleep a few minutes ago, lulled by the gentle sounds of his heartbeat.

.

Sleep never came easily for Minako. When she slept, thoughts rooted into her brain that took dream form. Nightmare form, really. The subject matter was always the same. The Reaper that followed her shadow, taking away anyone she may have loved. Having the same dream over and over has numbed Minako slightly, but the growing number of graves. That was what truly haunted her.

This wasn't that dream. It was a simple one, really. From before it all began. All she can see is a boy not older than, say five-years-old. Bright blue eyes and the hair to match. And he smiled at her. Though Minako couldn't see herself, she felt her smile back. The boy held out his arm, as if he was trying to reach her. She extended a hand as well, running toward him. It wasn't until she got closer that she realized he wasn't reaching out to her.

"Take it."

Her instinctual reaction left little doubt. She trusted him with her life and accepted the mysterious object. Looking down into her hands laid a silver gun.

.

Akihiko struggled to open to the dormitory doors. He was still cradling another person, after all. The walk back took almost an hour. Hopefully that would be a cue for the Dark Hour to end. Akihiko desperately needed a shower after the night he had. He gently placed the girl on the couch in the common area, careful not to wake her. This effort failed as a breathy moan broke their unspoken silence pact. Crimson eyes fluttered open, but it wasn't Akihiko they focused on.

"Wh-who's there?!"

.

.

It started with her grandparents. After _the accident_ , she was put under their care following her parents' will. They were nothing but loving, and it was Minako's happiest year post-accident. But it was only for a year. It was her grandma's untimely death that ended it, for her grandfather was too grief-stricken to be her sole guardian. So he reluctantly sent her to an aunt's family in the countryside. Minako's next home was an interesting family dynamic. With four cousins, the family dog, and her aunt's brother-in-law all living under one roof, Minako went generally unnoticed. The family member that gave her the most attention was the brother-in-law, a poor twenty-year-old who lived with the family to cut down costs in college housing. Though it may have started out of pity, he protected her from her cousins' ignorant comments about her family situation and gave only Minako sweets and gifts when he came back from town. Even if she can no longer remember his name, he was the seven-year-old's first love. But tragedy struck once again, and it struck hard, taking her only friend from the world.

He was only twenty.


	2. Not Here to Make Friends

The alarm clock from hell started buzzing like crazy. Why, oh why, was the alarm clock the first thing she unpacked? She could've just as easily unpacked her books or laptop, but no she had to go with the one item that was the bane of her existence. She slammed her hand onto the clock as fast and hard as she could, causing the smallest crack on the tiny plastic box. Minako then proceeded to wrap herself back in her blankets and was so close to dream land. Unfortunately, a knock on the door ruined it for her.

"Can I come in?" Dammit. She forgot where she was for a moment. Minako made a mental note not to leave her guard down for the next few days. She was still in unknown territory.

The brunette gathered the entire blanket around her in some sort of sluggish cocoon and reluctantly left the bed to open the door. On the other side of the door, Yukari waited. Upon first glance of the transfer student's self-made cocoon, she resisted the urge to snicker until she realized the urgency of the situation.

"You're not dressed yet? We have to leave for school." Goddammit, Minako didn't want to hate Yukari but she was ruining her sleeping time. Scratch that. School was ruining her sleeping time. She was so used to living right next to her old school that she would literally roll out of bed at the last second to leave and nobody really cared.

"Sorry, but the school is a little ways off, so we need time for the trip." Yukari said with a carefree smile on her face, as if not understanding her own situation. Minako began to stare her down with her sleepy gaze before proceeding to shut the door.

"Leave without me." Was her muffled reply.

Yukari panicked. "No way! Mitsuru-sempai asked me to show you the way to school. She'll have my head if you don't show up for the first day! Please!"

Sensing her desperation,(who was this Mitsuru Kirijo to instill so much fear?) Minako decided to comply. She also wanted to avoid making enemies with the girl who carries the (possibly fake) gun. She went through her usual speed run, but she struggled a little bit with her black tights. Minako had nearly forgotten about her twisted ankle. After last night's strange encounter, she didn't really want to show weakness in front of these bizarre strangers. Sure, simply asking for a medical kit wasn't that hard. But Minako Arisato was known for her stubbornness. She could always use it as an excuse to hang out in the infirmary for most of the day.

Fresh faced and perfectly buttoned, she exited her room and sashayed down the hallway, waiting for Yukari to follow and eventually guide her to the Iwatodai Station where she arrived from late last night.

.

"Hey Yuka-tan!"

"Mornin'!"

"Takeba-senpai!"

Minako didn't realize how popular Yukari would be. She seemed to gather all this attention to the both of them just by walking down the street. Yukari simply went with the flow and greeted everyone she passed. Did she actually know all of these people?

"Yukari! What's up?" A group of girls gathered by the front gate of the school yelled out to the pair of girls. Gathering by Yukari's sudden squeal and the extra bounce in her step, it seemed that these were her friends.

"Hey guys! This is Minako Arisato, she's the newest student here at Gekkoukan High. Be sure to treat her well!" And suddenly, all at once, they pounced. Where'd you come from? What was your old school like? Do you have a boyfriend? Who is your favorite idol? Minako was bombarded with such trivial questions she certainly didn't want to answer. And what was she going to do faced with her mortal enemy, a gaggle of teenage girls? Minako coldly brushed aside their questions and handshakes, and continued marching forward.

.

"Minako! Wait up!" Yukari called out to her, practically chasing after her. She could've lost her if it weren't for her ankle, Minako thought to herself as she winced in pain. Eventually she gave up outpacing her and stopped in the middle of the school entrance.

"Um, what was _that_?"

The brunette paused to sort through her rebuttal, but just decided to make it simple and clean.

"I'm not really here to make friends." She replied indifferently. "So you don't need to play nice with me just because Kirijo told you to. I'd rather just be on my own."

"But she's not-"

Minako cut her off. "It's fine. You're free from babysitting duty, so you can go back to your friends."

The transfer student picked up her pace, silently breathing through the pain as she walked just a little faster. Yukari just stood in place, dumbfounded. Was she pissed because of the whole gun fiasco last night?

She probably was.

.

The brooding transfer student sighed exasperatedly as she rested her head on the desktop. Minako survived the first half of the school without having to say much besides her name. There were still plenty of eyes on her as she was deemed the fresh meat, but Minako had her own defense mechanism for this. She perfected her 'don't mess with me' face to an art. A single glare that screams 'I don't deal with anyone's bullshit'. 99.9% Effective.

Minako decided now was the best time to hide in the infirmary for the rest of the day when she was approached by a random face. This weird goateed guy was wearing a not so standard uniform consisting of a blue collared shirt with the school jacket and a baseball cap. Students were allowed to wear hats in this school? Noted.

"Sup' dude?" Last time she checked, Minako wasn't a dude. The voice startled her, however, as she jumped in her seat, which of course made the teenage boy laugh.

"Haha, you look like a deer in the headlights. No need to fear, Junpei Iori at your service!" Was this guy trying to be smooth? He even bowed and everything. Minako was not impressed.

"What do you want?" She asked brutally. Junpei seemed taken aback, but would not relent.

"Hey, hey. I just wanted to talk. I was the transfer student a few years back, and I know how tough it is being the new kid… I wasn't trying to hit on you, I swear." Junpei was on the defensive.

She saw Yukari come over to them in the corner of her eye, but she didn't seem all perky and happy like Minako had seen earlier. If anything, she seemed annoyed. The brunette briefly wondered if it was because of her harsh words, but soon realized who the intended target was.

"Sheesh, at it again, huh? Honestly, is there any girl you wouldn't hit on?" Yukari definitely did not like Junpei. Her comment caused Minako to shoot daggers at the lone male who pathetically tried to defend himself yet again.

"I swear I wasn't trying to hit on you!" Junpei exclaimed really loudly, causing the entire class to shift their attention to the three. Minako desperately hoped she wouldn't be stuck with these two for the rest of her school year, otherwise she could kiss her anonymity goodbye. Yukari and Junpei just seemed to be inviting attention to them and Minako was anxious to avoid it.

The bells rang, causing everyone to scurry back into their assigned seating. Minako realized her missed opportunity to run away and shot a dirty look at the boy responsible. But Junpei Iori proved to be oblivious of his 'new friend's' spite.

Minako's 'don't mess with me' face lost its edge.

.

Junpei Iori was also very difficult to shake off. After classes ended, he decreed that he would show her the area and walk her home. Normally, Minako would ferociously shoot him down, but circumstances have changed. Circumstances being she had absolutely no clue where she was going. Minako didn't exactly pay attention to her surroundings on the ride to school. She was barely even conscious.

"Whoa, check out the jocks on their run…" He pointed out, along with about a thousand other silly comments including the teacher who seemed to be measuring girls' skirt lengths with measuring tape.

Leading the run was one of the senpai she met last night. Her memory was still foggy, but Minako did remember that he was the one that brought her to the dorm. His name was Sanada … something. Judging by the all the stares he got from passing girls, he must be pretty popular.

They locked eyes for the briefest of moments. Minako shook it off pretty quickly as she focused on following Junpei to the station. Akihiko Sanada watched her limp away as his jog route took him and his team to a separate direction.

.

Minako has had a handful of bizarre dreams since she moved to Iwatodai. Strange encounters with a long nosed man in an eternally moving elevator was definitely at the top of the list. But last night's dream was a pleasant one. She couldn't recall what she saw, but Minako distinctly remembers the refreshing feeling it gave her. It was difficult to describe without sounding cliché. Soothing sensations that make you feel lighter than air. Healing winds that could melt your troubles away. That kind of bullshit. It was probably the best night's sleep she had in a long time.

That morning, she woke up with no troubles whatsoever. Yukari didn't need to pull her out of bed like she did the other day. The strangest part was that when she stood up to make coffee, her ankle didn't give her any trouble. Minako looked down to check, expecting the bruising to be darker, only to find her clean porcelain skin. No more bruising, no swelling, no pain.

How curious.

.

The days were becoming mundane as Minako slowly got used to her new environment. She met the Chairman of the school the other night when he visited the dorm. What business the school Chairman had with them was beyond her but Minako had a feeling it had something to do with her first night in Iwatodai. He said he was just here to welcome her, but she saw through that lie easily. Minako chose to ignore her suspicion for now. She didn't want to seem too paranoid, after all.

.

Minako was exhausted so it didn't take long for her to sleep. She did not have a restful sleep, however, and found herself waking up in the middle of the night. In her sleepy daze, Minako heard the sound of footsteps stomping around in the halls. Now fully awake, she shot off of bed, and was about to yell at whoever was doing it to shut the fuck up when that same person pounded on her door. Officially pissed off, Minako opened the door ready to attack.

It was Yukari on the other side of the door, but that didn't calm Minako's rage. Fortunately for Yukari, there was no time to bite her head off and she pulled Minako by the arm, thrusting something into her other hand. It was an incredibly long staff-like object with a blade at the end. Minako recognized these from her history textbook, but had never seen or held one in real life. So this was a naginata.

"There's no time to explain. We're in danger just standing here!"

Wait, what?

"Follow me!" She yanked her down the hallway, also pulling it off of its socket.

"Yukari?!"

Minako had a lot questions, and that is a perfectly normal reaction when a person hands you a sharp knife on a stick with zero explanation. Why did she just hand her a weapon? Was she supposed to use it?! And on what?! What the hell was happening?!

Unfortunately none of these questions could be answered until the host stopped wheezing. Yukari pulled her down the stairs and she still hadn't caught her breath.

"We should be safe here..." Safe? Safe from what?! Yet another question she could not vocalize. As soon as they stopped moving the front door began to rattle, freaking Minako out even more.

"L-let's pull back!" Immediately the two girl ran yet again, this time to the second floor. Wait, why were they going up? Yukari pulled Minako towards … the roof?

"The door's locked. I think we're safe for now." Yukari sighed out of relief. Minako was not as calm.

"Safe?! We're stuck up here! And just what the _hell_ is going on?! "

Just then, the girls heard a roar come from below. A single slimy black arm reached over the ledge of the rooftop. Then, Minako caught sight of a face that will probably haunt her future nightmares. A second arm was holding a hollow blue mask with the Roman numeral I inscribed on its forehead. The entirety of its body was made up of arms. Almost resembling a spider, six- or was it eight- of the arms acted as the legs. The rest each carried various weapons- rapiers, Minako believed they were called. But that didn't matter. What mattered is that it was going to kill them.

"That's that thing that attacked this place… we call them Shadows!" Seriously?! Yukari was giving an explanation now at the face of death?!

"O-oh yeah ... I have to fight... I can summon mine … no problem…" Yukari began to mumble to herself. Despite her strong demeanor, there was something that truly freaked her out, and Minako was starting to realize why. Yukari took the gun from her holster, the same gun she almost used the night Minako arrived. However, instead of pointing it to the shadow she …. Put it up to her forehead?! She was going to shoot herself!

Yukari began hyperventilating. Wait. She didn't want to do it? Before she could reach the trigger, the monster attacked, sending some sort of fire attack her way.

"Yukari!"

The gun was knocked out of her hand and scooted towards Minako. It landed at her feet, and she picked it up, determined to avenge Yukari. As soon as she did, everything seemed to become clearer, and the motions just came to her naturally.

It's not a real gun. That's what Mitsuru said.

"Thou art I, and I am thou." A voice echoed in her head, waiting for her to pull the trigger.

She did just as Yukari did, and brought the gun to her head. With her left hand to her heart, she pulled the trigger.

And the rest of that night was all a blur.

.


End file.
